Riddled by buck shot from a shotgun — including a pellet that traveled through her brain — 22-year-old Petra Anderson was given little chance for survival by her friends and family.

But the aspiring musician and violinist is making a miraculous recovery from injuries inflicted during the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises,” thanks to a void in her brain that was most likely there at birth, said the neurosurgeon treating her at an Aurora area hospital.

Her story was first chronicled in a blog post by Brad Strait, the senior pastor at her church, Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Englewood.

In his post, the pastor described what happened after Anderson was hit in the face and arm a shotgun blast.

A shotgun pellet that hit her face entered the nose and traveled through her brain to the back of her skull, family friend Andrew Roblyer confirmed.

Yet Anderson “is still able to talk and to walk and is able to speak in full sentences,” said Roblyer, who has talked to her as she recovers in the hospital. “She gets jokes and makes jokes.”

He said the neurosurgeon has told the family that the void in the brain likely was there at birth and its location likely saved her life.

“It is something that is not uncommon,” Roblyer said. “A lot of people have them. The uniqueness was the way it was placed, and the way it channeled the pellet.”

If the shotgun pellet would have traveled a millimeter in another direction it could have harmed areas of the brain that control speech or movement, he added.

By late Tuesday, Anderson had been moved from the intensive care unit, Strait wrote.

Anderson grew up in Aurora. She graduated this year from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., with a degree in music composition. She has been accepted to graduate school at the University of Maryland.

She returned to Aurora after getting her undergraduate degree to help her mother, Kim, fight the latter stages of breast cancer.

The family is seeking donations to help pay for Anderson’s physical therapy as well as her mother’s fight against breast cancer, which will involve experimental treatments not covered by insurance. Those interested in giving donations or providing help can visit the Anderson Family Relief website.

Christopher N. Osher can be contacted at cosher@denverpost.com or 303-954-1747 or @chrisosher. Chris is a reporter on the investigation team at The Denver Post who has covered law enforcement, judicial and regulatory issues for the newspaper. He also has reported from war zones in Africa.